The First Day of School

The First Day Of School…

(enter child's name) knew the day was coming,
her very first day of school,
and she was so excited
to learn to write and to get to carry books.
“Will I learn to write big words,”
____ asked her mother with a smile.
“Yes, you will learn how to write,” her mother said,
“and spell and add and tell the time.”

So, _____ and her mother went to town,
to a big store they did go,
to buy _____ some school supplies
like a pencil and new clothes
and a lunch-box with a princess on the front
and a yellow coat in case it rained
and a tablet with some paper
and, just for fun, a candy cane.

They shopped all day, then drove back home,
and _____ looked again at all her new things.
Then, ____ began to wonder
how far away from home school would be.
“Will you show me the way to school,”
____ asked her mother with a smile.
“Well, sure I will,” her mother said,
the school is just down the road a mile.

On the very next morning,
_____ and her mother went for a walk,
and along the path they followed,
they talked and talked and talked
about _____’s mother’s first day of school
and how much fun she’d had
and how she’d walked to her first day
with her mother and with her dad.


As _____ and her mother walked,
_____ made sure to try to remember
about all the places she was passing
as she and her mother walked together
as ____’s mom showed her the way to school,
the path that she would take.
____ was sure that she’d be allowed
to walk alone to school someday.

So, ______ made sure to see the little white house
with blue shutters and a little white gate.
She would need to remember to turn beside there
or else to school she would be late.
And the row of red flowers along side the drive,
no, no, she would not forget those
because when she passed those pretty red flowers,
she had to stop and scratch her nose.

Along the way, they passed a fence
and behind it was a friendly yellow dog
who would chase around his tail
and then he would chase around a ball.
Just down the road from the dog
lived a big white cat
with fluffy hair and a long fluffy tail
who just sat upon a mat.

“This is the way,” _____’s mother said
as they kept walking on,
“it’s just a little further
so it won’t take very long.”
And _____ looked about her
at a house that was painted pink.
“I would like to live someday,” ____ said,
“in a house painted pink, I think.”

And as ____ and her mother walked some more,
they passed a pretty tree,
“The school is that big building there,” her mother said,
“the one that is painted white and green.”
_____’s mother pointed ahead and ____ joined in.
“I see it now,” _____ said, “Yes, I really do,
I see the place where I will go
when I have my first day of school.”

And, with a turn, they headed home,
a short walk it had been
as she had walked beside her mother
along the path to school, hand-in-hand.
As they walked home, ______ began to dream
about learning books and math
and time and words and things.

Then the day finally came,
and _____ jumped right out of bed
to hurry and get ready for school,
to brush her teeth and make her bed.
“Slow down and eat your breakfast,”
______’s mother said with a smile,
“don’t worry, you’ll get there on time,
the school is just a mile.”

“I know the way,” _____ said, “I really do,
I can walk it by myself,
I can find my way to school,
yes, I can find it without any help.”
“Okay,” her mother finally said,
though she had a plan of what to do,
“you can try, yes you can try
to find your own way to school.”

So ______ picked up her lunch and
she picked up her pack,
she stretched out her arms
and put the pack on to her back,
she kissed her mom on the cheek
and went out the front door,
and began walking the path
she had walked with her mother before.

With a smile she waved
to the little white house with shutters of blue
and turned right beside it
as she knew to do.
And she waved, “Hello” to the friendly yellow dog
who did not see her
because he was busy chasing a frog.

And, she walked and she walked,
but she saw no big fluffy cat
that was the color of white
lying asleep on a mat.
And, she saw no pretty house
in the color of pink
and saw no building
of white and of green.

“This is not the way,”
____ thought to herself,
“where am I, where am I,
I need some help,
but I was so sure I could walk
to school on my own,
on my first day of school
just a mile from home.”

By a pretty tree, _____ turned around
and headed for home, sad that she had not found
her own way to school on her very first day.
She had been so sure that she knew the way.

Back down the path, ____ headed for home,
past the little white house with shutters of blue.
Her head hanging down and tears in her eyes,
____ said, “Mommy, Mommy, I need to talk to you.
I walked down the path, I did really try,
but I could not find the way on my own.”
“It’s okay,” mother said, “I was following you all the way,
I just couldn’t let you walk to school all alone.”
“Will you take me to school,” _____ asked as she dried her eyes.
“Yes I will take you school,” her mother said with a smile.

Hand-in-hand, together they walked
past the little white house, past the friendly yellow dog,
past the flowers of red and the big fluffy cat,
past the pink little house, yes, they passed that.

Then, as they passed by a pretty tree,
_____ said, “This is where I turned back for home.”
“I know, I saw,” her mother said with a smile,
“but you didn’t need to when you walked on your own.
There is the school, that building, you see,
the building painted of white and of green.”
And ____ looked at the yard with the crowd,
but before she had not seen the building she saw now.

Her mother led her into the school,
then down the hall, and then into her classroom.
But ____’s first lesson she had learned very well,
you don’t have to do everything all on your own,
it’s always okay to ask your mother for help.